


Family, Love and Redemption

by mimibo



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Azula has a twin, Fluff, Happy Ending, One character is my OC, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Reference to child abuse/ unhappy families, Relativley canon compliant for plot, Slow Build, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is a really good firebender, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko is oblivious to sokkas flirting, the gang briefly adopts a child
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22018795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimibo/pseuds/mimibo
Summary: Zuko was banished by his father with nothing. Still given the task of hunting the avatar but without a ship or crew he soon gives up on his task. But when the avatar stumbles into his village all that changes.Oh and Azula has a twin who is just as evil as she is... right?
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 84





	1. The Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during Season 1 Episode 6 - Imprisoned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, This is the first actual chapter of the book. its not as long as it could have been because I was itching to post it. This fic is planned to be really long so the sokka/zuko stuff will take a while to get going, and introducing Azulas twin etc. Hope you Enjoy, Comments and Kudos are always appreciated :)
> 
> ps. This fic will take place during the canon series so whilst I'll try explain/describe most things I think you'll get more out of it if you've watched the whole series. Also this will contain spoilers for the series so don't read too far if you haven't finished the show.

A faint rustle of leaves awoke Zuko from his slumber. He stretched out his tired body (well as much as the small sleeping bag would allow him to) and looked around. He was sure he had heard something near the window, a quiet movement but loud enough that his overly sensitive hearing heard it. Taking one final look at the surroundings he decided it was nothing to worry about probably just a bird or mouse, the forest did provide a home for many creatures including himself.

Now Zuko was awake there was no chance he would be able to go back to sleep even if he tried, he was a fire bender and they rise with the sun. That was one of the only factors that linked him to the fire nation and his fire bending. Zuko or Li as he had been known by for the last 3 years wore earth kingdom greens and had long since traded his topknot for a more casual half up hairstyle, since his jet black hair had reached his shoulders since being in exile. His scar was easily excused - Fire nation soldiers attacked his village and he was burned, And since he would never be careless enough to practise his fire bending in view of other people there was nothing about him that could suggest to people that he was anything other than another poor orphaned boy left with a burn by a fire bender. Really why would he want to be linked to a nation that didn’t want him - The banished prince, Unworthy heir, Weakest sibling. His own family didn’t want him and since that family ruled over the nation he didn’t really have any chance. It was better for Zuko that he just try and assume a new life out here in the earth kingdom, and no one recognised him so he was safe to live under his alias.

But there was the part of Zuko that didn’t want to hide in fear. He wanted to be bold and strong and honourable. He liked to think he wasn’t the scared little prince that had been banished and shamed, he was stronger, smarter and better than he had been then, his years worth of training with master Jeong Jeong had made him an excellent fire bender and there could even be a chance he could go head to head with Azula or Ezra and actually win.

Of course that was just a fantasy, deep down Zuko knew he couldn’t be any of that. He was just lucky to be born, never destined to be born lucky like his sister and brother. They were both prodigies; Fire bending as soon as they could walk whilst Zuko still struggled to produce a spark. Ozai had been oh so proud when he saw he finally had two potential heirs, both Azula and Ezra were the perfect royal children- excelling in their training in all combat disciplines and both possessed sharp minds and could outsmart Zuko even though they were so young. Being twins and all Zuko was left twice as helpless against their “funny” pranks which were just atttacks in disguise . The only thing Zuko had was his apparent gift in swordsmanship although even that was worthless in his fathers eyes. He has supposed to become the Fire Lord not the sword lord. So really he was doomed from the very beginning.

 _No,_ Zuko thought.

There was no point getting down over his family and lack of past skills, he was a good fighter and fire bender (even if he couldn’t show it) and he will find happiness one day in whatever form it comes to him.

 _My Fire is strong_ he thought _Agni gave me this gift and it must mean something._

He wouldn’t let his father - _No, Ozai. He doesn't deserve to be called father_ \- He wouldn’t let Ozai ruin his life. He could strip him of his title, his family and his home but he could never take the gift of fire away from him. Zuko had been thinking too much as he felt a surge of fire rise up in his chest, the thought of his father and past life filled him with all sorts of uncomfortable emotions.

But those thoughts suddenly left him when he heard the faint rustle again, more distinct now Zuko could tell it wasn’t the wind or an animal, the rhythmic disturbances in the foliage could only be footsteps creeping toward him. Thinking quickly he grabbed a shirt from where it had been discarded on the floor - _Better not to face potential enemies shirtless_ \- and crept towards the window. Zuko caught sight of someone in between the trees, luckily they didn’t seem to be going toward him, the man seemed to know where he was going.

 _Have I seen him before?_ Zuko thought.

 _The Man? Boy? He looks around my age, boy._ continued to move further and further until he was out of Zuko’s view.

_Where’s he going? Maybe I should follow… No, probably a bad idea._

After a while Zuko’s curiosity (and lack of better things to do) got the better of him and he silently opened the door of the little wooden shack that he’d been calling home for the past few months and ventured out into the forest. Zuko followed the path he thought the person had taken, weaving through trees and dense undergrowth nearing the outskirts of the forest.

 _Where is he going? There’s nothing beyond this side of the woods but abandoned mines and old caves._ Zuko thought to himself although he carried on following anyway.

After about 10 minutes he caught up with the boy, hiding behind a sizeable rock Zuko managed to get a better look at the boy. He was wearing Earth Kingdom greens similar to Zuko’s own and he had his hair in some weird fashion with a headband across his forehead.

_He definitely looks familiar, but from where? Maybe I’ve seen him in town perhaps…_

Zuko had only been living (well sheltering) in this town for a few months since the incident and he’d managed to keep his visits into the main town quick and swift in order to attract as little attention as possible. But the boys face suddenly seemed very familiar and Zuko just couldn’t place it. Shifting on the balls of his feet to get a better look around the side of the rock Zuko noticed the boy was lining up in front of one of the old coal mine entrances. Then he moved his feet apart in what looked to be an earth bending stance, raised his hands and with a flick of his wrist he parted the rocks in the entrance to the old mineshaft.

Realization dawned on Zuko. _I know where I’ve seen him before…. He was the son of one of the men that was taken away for resisting the fire nation with earth bending._

The town that Zuko had settled in had been invaded by fire nation troops a few weeks into his stay but he decided -maybe unwisely - to stay as they didn’t seem overly cruel or strict and had mostly ignored him.

_Although I’m sure that’d change if they knew who I was… The Banished prince. He thought quietly._

But the soldiers had been met with resistance, Zuko had watched from the treetops as the small troop of 10 or so earth benders desperately tried to hold back the 100 strong squad of fire nation soldiers that had come to invade their village. In some ways Zuko was glad he had left the fire nation, It had opened his eyes to the cruelty of the war his people believed was being done to help the other nations. But Zuko had seen the truth of how his father and grandfather and the other firelords before them simply had a desire to consume and take whatever they could.

 _Just like fire_. He thought. _Consumes and destroys everything in its path._

He cut off his internal monologue in favour of trying to make a decision about the boy. Zuko figured the boy had to come this far out into the forest to avoid being sighted by fire nation troops.

_Should I follow or not?_

_If he sees me he might earth bend at me then I’d have to fire bend back and that wouldn’t end well for either of us, although I’ve come this far and seen him so_

_I may as well continue and hope he doesn’t try kill me besides I've got nothing better to do._

Zuko decided after much thought ( _Ha_ ) that he would follow him into the mine shaft and see what happened but then, the entrance to the shaft was earth bended shut and he couldn’t get in.

_Oh Well, Maybe its a sign I definitely shouldn’t have followed him._

Zuko sat and looked up at the trees and the surrounding hills.

 _So much rock_ , he thought then, _Duh Its the earth kingdom, Rock is their whole thing. Why am I being so dopey today? Maybe it's the lack of sleep._

After 20 minutes or so of idle spaced out thought Zuko heard a rumbling near the entrance to the mine shaft. Realising he was in full view he scrambled to move back behind his rock, but not quick enough as the boy emerged from the tunnel. The boy looked around then his eyes fixed on Zuko, realisation dawned on his face as he realized Zuko must have seen him earth bending. They both stood (well he stood, Zuko was scrambling on the floor) and stared at each other neither daring to say anything.

“You didn’t see anything, Ok?” The Boy said tentatively, the fear becoming apparent on his face.

“Ok.” Zuko said back, his voice lacking its usual tone.

_Why do I sound scared? I’ve done nothing wrong. Maybe its the fact this is the first person I’ve spoken to in 3 months. I’ve forgotten how to talk._

And with that the boy sprinted away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No prizes for guessing who the mystery earth bender is lol. There are a few things in this chapter that probably don't make sense yet. Rest assured everything will be explained but in flashbacks and stories. Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment if you feel like it. Next chapter coming soon!


	2. The Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also takes place during Season 1 Episode 6- Imprisoned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Hope you enjoy this chapter. Kudos and comments are very welcome! :)

A few days had passed since the earth bending mystery and Zuko was beginning to get bored again. With no space (or privacy) to practice his bending or swords, Zuko was desperate for something to do, so after much thought, he decided to go into town. He was down to his last piece of rock hard bread and had long since run out of anything to make it more palatable.

_What if the guards discover me?_

All the possible scenarios of what would happen if he was caught ran through his head.

_Well if anyone recognizes me as the prince I’ll definitely be imprisoned, highly likely they’ll kill me as well. The Fire Nation hates traitors and I doubt the Fire Lord would care if I was killed. Hell, he’d probably even reward them. Or maybe they’d just keep me as a prisoner and I’d get tortured once in a while, Death is probably preferable to fire nation torture._

_Z_ uko shuddered as he remembered the stories Ezra used to tell him about what he and Azula had seen when they’d snuck into the Caldera prison. How two small children managed to get in there he had no idea. Although they were the two sneakiest people he’d ever met even as kids so he supposed it wasn’t actually that difficult. At that point, Zuko’s stomach decided to interrupt his reminiscence of how horrible his siblings had been with a noise that he was pretty sure would alert everyone in the earth kingdom to his presence.

_I think a supply trip must be in order… I don’t think my stomach should be rumbling this loudly._

And with that, Zuko mustered up a bit of courage - _I’m pathetic, why am I so scared_ \- and put all the thoughts of removing body parts and endless spinning out of his head. 

They won’t notice me, It’ll just be like the other times I’ve visited.

With all the energy and courage he could find Zuko hopped down from the tree he’d been perched in and set off in the direction of the town.

So far Zuko’s trip into town had been uneventful. He’d managed to find some half-decent bead rolls and some local nuts and berries which were promised to be ‘the best nuts in all the earth kingdom.’

 _I doubt it._ Zuko thought, but he had bought some anyway and they turned out to be pretty good.

Zuko also managed to find a shop selling different varieties of fruits not native to the earth kingdom along with barrels of… Well, he didn’t know what of. 

_Some sort of juice_? He wondered. _Maybe its some sort of alcohol or it could be oil but why would a fruit shop sell oil. Maybe it's a black market place, every town has one and this looks like a simple unassuming house so it might be._

After about a minute of standing there, a middle-aged woman emerged from the back of the shop.

“Hello young man” She spoke, her voice was hoarse as if she had been yelling.

 _I’m so quick to judge_ Zuko thought, _She’s just a sweet lady. Probably about my mother’s age._

 _“_ Have you been in here long? Sorry for the wait my son seems to be causing some problems and I had to sort them.” She said with a faint smile.

The woman’s voice seemed forced, the light-heartedness attempting to mask something else. Then it all became clear to Zuko when another person appeared from behind the curtain.

_The Earth bender boy._

After a few seconds of uneasy silence the woman spoke: 

“Are you ok?” then turning around to see her son - _I guess it’s probably her son, they look alike-_

 _“_ Haru, what are you doing? I told you to stay in the back. You need to stay out of-”

Her words were interrupted by a loud banging on the door. Then 5 or so fire nation troops marched into the little shop, all eyes fixed on the woman.

“What do you want I’ve already paid my taxes this week,” She said loudly although the fear was clear in her voice.

“The tax just doubled,” He said menacingly “and we wouldn’t want an accident would we?”

The soldier created a flame in his hands and glared threateningly at the woman. She walked silently over to a dresser and pulled out a locked box, the faint rattle of a couple of copper pieces cut through the tense silence.

Zuko realized he’d gradually sunk back against the wall, trying to look normal and unassuming and definitely not like the banished fire prince. After handing over the little money she had the guards turned to leave, one of them looked Zuko up and down but didn’t say anything. Zuko let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

 _That was too close for comfort._ He thought. _I should probably leave quick before they decide to come back for a second round._

 _A_ fter his close encounter with the fire nation soldiers, Zuko had almost forgotten that the boy standing in front of him - _Haru? I think the woman called him that-_ was the mystery earth bender from a few days ago. Zuko turned his eyes back to him to find that the boy was already staring at him he looked… Scared? - _No, that isn't fear, more like apprehension and guilt. Maybe his mother doesn’t know he’s an earth bender.-_

Zuko politely excused himself from the shop.

_Even if the boy is a mystery, finding out isn’t worth another run-in with the fire nation soldiers._

After deciding that the dozen bread rolls and nuts were enough for now Zuko headed back in the direction of the forest. Slightly shaken by this particular visit he vowed he would learn how to hunt, so then at least he could be self-sufficient for a while. He had almost reached his hut when he heard a twig snap behind him. Zuko quickly spun round to see what was stalking him.

“ Hi I’m Haru”

_Oh shit_

_“_ Uhh, Hi” Zuko replied. 

After a minute - _Ok, not a minute Zuko. Time drags when it's awkward-_ After a few seconds, Zuko managed to find some words from his scrambled brain.

“Why did you follow me?” Zuko asked. His voice did that stupid break again like it did when he last spoke to Haru. 

_I need to practice speaking more. This is getting embarrassing._

“Sorry, I just needed to-” He stopped and looked at Zuko nervously. “Was it you who saw me at the mineshaft the other day? I was… You know...” He looked scared to even mention earth bending and couldn’t bring himself to say the word. 

“Yeah, it was me” 

Haru looked at Zuko expectantly. Then realizing that Zuko wasn’t going to say anything further he added.

“Are you going to tell anyone?”

“No”

“Uh, Ok then” He seemed taken aback at Zuko’s abruptness. 

_Why can’t I find the words to speak right now? I’m so pathetic._

“What’s your name?” Haru asked, obviously realizing he was going to have to carry this conversation.

“Zuk- I mean Li” Zuko stammered.

_Idiot._ He thought to himself. _You’re going to blow your own cover._ Although he doubted people would recognize him this far from the fire nation.

“Nice to meet you Li, I’m Haru” 

Zuko just stood there, completely unsure of what to do or say. He’d always found interaction with people he didn’t know difficult. Just another reason among the thousands of why he would be a terrible fire lord and probably deserved to be stripped of his title. A Prince should be confident and smooth not like a lost awkward turtle duck who can’t seem to find his words.

“Uh, I guess I’ll be going now Li. See you around though” He turned to leave but not before adding placing a package in Zuko’s arms and speaking quietly 

“Please don’t tell anyone, I don’t know what my mother would do without me” 

Zuko nodded quickly and managed to utter a thanks for the package. Once he could see Haru was out of sight he turned and headed into his little hut. Laying the package out on his bed he found some fruit, a water sac, a dozen more rolls, and a knife. The knife looked to be pretty good quality and upon further inspection, it looked like it was designed to gut animals. 

_I should definitely learn how to hunt._

But why did Haru give Zuko the package? Well, the simple answer was bribery - Haru didn’t want Zuko to alert the fire nation that he was an earth bender.

 _As if I could ever do that. They’d have a field day - an earth bender and the banished prince what a find._ Zuko scoffed _, Besides the reward for turning in hidden earth benders is hundreds of gold pieces in this town and Haru must know that. A simple package is worth much much less than that._

Maybe he simply wanted to show kindness to Zuko. That was a radical thought since Zuko didn’t really believe in kindness simply for the sake of kindness. Every action has a hidden self-centered motive, Zuko had seen the truth of the world many times since being banished from his home and the world was a cruel, unkind place- With his family the creators of the cruelty and hurt.

_Oh well, Either way, I’ve now got more food and a decent knife._

He removed the items from their fabric wrapping and went to fold the fabric but he caught sight of a small sheet of paper folded in the bottom of the cloth. Zuko picked up the letter and opened it, the paper was thin and the writer obviously hadn't been subjected to the years of calligraphy practice that Zuko had. But it was legible and Zuko began to read.

****Hi** **

****My name is Haru. I think you’re the person I saw the other day when I was out in the mines. Well if I’ve given you this package then you probably are. Unless the fire nation soldiers are biding their time to come to capture me you haven’t told them so thank you. My father is an earth bender and he was taken by the fire nation when our town was raided a few months ago, Earth bending is the only way I feel close to him now. He taught me everything I know. I don’t know why I’m writing all this down, but the main point is Thank you.** **

****I gave you this package because I noticed you looked skinny and like you were living rough in the forest so I thought these items might help. I also noticed the scar on your face, I guess the fire nation has affected all of us. I hope they can be brought to justice one day but until then we have to fight back silently. Practicing my earth bending is makes me feel like I’m doing something to resist them even if they’ll never know. I probably shouldn’t have written this down as you could easily turn me in for it, but I guess since you haven’t already you aren’t going to. Maybe you’re in hiding too but anyway. One day I won't have to hide from the fire nation and neither will you. There is hope, I met the Avatar the day after I saw you and I really believe he and his friends will save us. Sorry for my handwriting and literacy, The fire nation burnt down my school.** **

****Haru.** **

Zuko felt his blood run cold. - _The avatar?-_ he reread the sentence again and again. 

_Haru met the avatar and his friends. He thinks they’re going to save us._

Zuko felt anticipation rise within him. On the day he was banished he had begged his father if there was any way he could come back, Zuko clearly remembered his father's cold thin lips twist into a sly smile.

“If you capture the Avatar, I will allow you to return and restore your honor”

And now the avatar was here, in this town. This could be his chance. A chance to go home, A chance to be the prince he should have been, A chance to not have to live in fear. Zuko’s brain started going a million miles a minute thoughts bouncing off each other like firecrackers. 

_I can restore my honor._

This was his chance, and Zuko was going to take it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To capture or not to capture that is the question...  
> Leave a comment or kudos if you'd like! :)


	3. The Trio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still takes place during season 1 episode 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, new chapter. Sorry its not very long, Celebrating New years was exhausting and I've been too tired to write :/  
> the new chapters should be daily for the next few weeks from now though.
> 
> P.s Things are written in italics cause its Zuko's thoughts/internal monologue. Just thought I'd say in case anyone was confused.

Zuko was perched at the top of a tree near the town center. He’d been sat for an hour now and hadn’t seen anything that looked out of the ordinary. Since reading Haru’s note the night before a spark of hope and drive had settled in Zuko. Finally, after 3 long years he had something to work towards; A goal that could restore his lost honor. He was sure he would be able to capture the avatar, he was young and agile and had a fair bit of experience in sneaking around. But there was also doubt in Zuko’s mind:

_ Maybe Haru was lying, they could have moved on from this town by now….The next avatar should have been born into the air nomads and my great-great-grandfather made sure he killed every single air bender. And even if I do find him, He’s had 100 years to master all 4 elements, I’m too weak to stand a chance against him. Although the avatar is 112 years old so I guess he can’t be moving that quickly. His friends are probably ancient as well.  _

_ I’m really just up against a couple of old people, How hard can that be. If worst comes to worst I can just run away, Old people can’t run that fast, if at all. _

Zuko was too deeply lost in thoughts of running from old men that he didn’t notice the trio of unusual people walking toward him until they were right underneath the tree he was hiding in. There were two boys and a girl, probably around Zuko’s age although he wasn’t really sure. The smaller boy of the two was dressed in what looked like an orange and yellow jumpsuit.

_ Maybe that’s what the Air Nomads wear _ Zuko muttered quietly.

He’d only ever learned about Air nomads briefly in school and there certainly hadn’t been a dress code that he had to be familiar with. The two other children -  _ Teenagers?- _ were dressed head to toe in blue, thick parkas wrapped around them, although it wasn’t really all that cold.

_ Water Tribe maybe? Although I think the poles are a long way out from here. And didn’t the southern raiders decimate the whole of the south pole? There can’t be many of them left. _

Zuko watched as they turned the corner and started heading towards the shop owned by Haru’s mother. 

_ Maybe Haru wasn’t lying. _ He thought to himself.  _ They do look very strange although none of them are anywhere near old enough to be the avatar. They’re just children. _

Zuko shifted to try and get a better look at them before they went out of sight. A twig snapped beneath him and he decided it was probably a good idea to move trees. But then the small boy turned around to face the Zuko, almost as if he had heard the twig snap. Zuko froze and tried to stay as still as possible, he could hear his heart rate going up rapidly. 

_ He can’t have heard it from that far away… _ Zuko thought although he was now convinced the boy had heard and his cover was about to be blown. But something else distracted Zuko. Something much more urgent and intriguing.

_ He has Air bender tattoos. _

The signature blue arrow on his bald head could only mean he was an air bending master. 

_ But how is he alive? Fire Lord Sozin destroyed all of the air temples and massacred all the air benders using Sozin’s comet. There’s no way anyone could have survived. And he’s only a child so he must have been born post-genocide. That doesn’t make sense…. Maybe it could be that Air benders did survive and they’re secretly repopulating. Someone must have given him those master tattoos. But surely the fire nation would have found that out by now. I don’t think there is any part of the 4 nations that the fire nation hasn’t destroyed or conquered… Well, that’s not really true, Ba Sing Se was never conquered. Could the Air Nomads really be repopulating inside of Ba sing se… That’s impossible. But he’s here right in front of me, there must be an explanation. _

The Air bender looked in Zuko’s general direction for a few moments more until he was interrupted by the Water Tribe boy. 

“Aang cmon, we haven’t got all day we need to be out of this place as quickly as possible. It’s crawling with fire nation soldiers”

“Calm down Sokka, They haven’t taken any interest in us so far. We have to go meet the boy we saw earth bending yesterday.” The Water tribe girl replied. 

“Yeah, I’m coming. Katara’s right, no ones chasing us it's fine.” The Air bender -  _ Aang _ ?- turned and skipped to catch up with the others.

Zuko was just within earshot and heard most of what they said. 

_ Idiots, why are they going around yelling about seeing people earth bending and hiding from fire nation soldiers. They’re just asking to be captured. It’s not even like they’ve made any effort to look normal, they all obviously look like they’re not from around these parts. And the Air Bender hasn’t even bothered covering up his tattoos…If I were that careless I would be rotting away in prison right now. _

Zuko decided to hop down from his tree perch and follow them on the ground. He kept his distance and made sure he was out of their line of sight, 

_ Not that they would be observant enough to notice me anyway, The water tribe boy - Sokka, I think she called him- seemed like the only one with a bit of common sense. They shouldn’t be out in the open in a town that’s occupied by fire nation. _

He watched as they opened the door to Haru’s house and went inside. When they were all inside and the door was shut, Zuko dared to creep toward one of the shutters on the outside of the house. Luckily for him, the shop was in the more… Remote area of town so there weren’t many people around to spot him. He pressed his ear to the shutter on the left side of the house to try and hear what they were saying.

From what Zuko could make out he gathered that they had met a few days prior when the trio of kids saw Haru earth bending  _ \- Just like I did  _ \- and followed him back. 

“Do you know anywhere we might be able to stay for the night Haru?” The water tribe girl asked, obviously trying to appear sweet and naive. 

“We have a barn you can stay in up on the hill, Haru can take you there. But I want you gone by morning. I feel you may cause trouble for us otherwise.” Haru’s mother replied.

Zuko realized he should make himself scarce as he heard footsteps heading for the door. He ran around to the back of the house and peeked around the corner to look who was leaving the house. After the water tribe boy and girl, Haru and the air bender had all gone through the door The air bender turned around,

“Thank you very much.” 

“You’re welcome.” Then in a hushed almost whispered voice, “Avatar Aang.”

Aang smiled widely at her then the group set off again.

_ He’s the avatar?! He can’t be, he isn’t old enough. But why would she call him avatar Aang otherwise?  _

Zuko decided that in spite of his uncertainties about whether the air bender really is the avatar, he was going to follow and capture the boy. 

_ Right, I need to find that barn. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will actually contain some action I swear. I want to ake sure I've set the characters and events up first before jumping in too quickly.  
> Hope you enjoyed reading! Comments and Kudos are always welcome :)


	4. The Masks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still taking place during season 1 episode 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter is 3k words long. I'm sticking to my daily updates hopefully. Hope you Enjoy!!

The sun had just dipped below the skyline when Zuko started to feel tired. He’d been sat awake in a tree near the barn for a few hours now. The Boy and his friends had been led to the barn by Haru, said their goodbyes and all gone inside. And now Zuko was just waiting for the right moment to strike, all he had to do was sneak in grab the boy and sneak away. Although how he was going to get back to the fire nation with the boy as a prisoner he had no idea. All rational thinking or planning was gone from Zuko’s mind, all he knew was that he must now capture the avatar. Zuko could hear voices from inside the barn:

“Aang where’s Appa?”

“I’ll call him, wait a minute”

_ What’s Appa?  _ Zuko wondered. _ Well _ , _ the boy definitely is called Aang. Great, really the information I need right now. Why can’t they talk about his avatar powers or travel plans? _

“Right, I’ve had to change the schedule since you two wanted to stop. If we don’t make anymore useless trips we’ll be at the northern water tribe in a few weeks.”

Zuko laughed quietly under his breath. _ Wow, that was lucky. Maybe I should just think of the questions I want them to answer. I think it was the water tribe boy who said that… His voice is less squeaky than the air bender. What did they call him? Suka? Sako? Suko? None of them sound right. Maybe Sokka. Yeah, I think it was Sokka. _

_ “ _ Sokka, Calm down. Aang’s got loads of time to master the elements, we can afford to stop sometimes and besides, we have to make supply trips.”

_ He has loads of time to master the elements? He is the avatar. But he’s just a child, does he even care about the war and the fire nation? I’m not sure I would if I was 12. _

“Katara’s right Sokka. I’ve got loads of time to master all 4 elements then kick the fire lord’s butt.”

_ Wow, I’m actually starting to think I do have some sort of weird connection with these kids… But how is it even possible that he’s the avatar? He should be 112 years old and he looks about 12 at most. All this time my ancestors have desperately tried to find him and he’s just a kid. _

_ Z _ uko was interrupted by his stomach which was rumbling loudly in protest of the fact that he hadn’t eaten since this morning. The hut wasn’t too far away, and he could make it there and back in an hour. Besides, he needed his dual swords and some other stuff he would need to take with him once he had captured the avatar. 

Not caring about being out in the open, Zuko walked down the main path into town, the moon was dim tonight and he had all the cover he needed from the darkness. It was the perfect night to kidnap someone, dark and quiet, everyone seemed to be out of the way. But something about that disturbed Zuko, he was planning to kidnap the boy.

_ Avatar or not, Is it right for me to take him and hand him over to Ozai? Look at what he did to me, and I’m his own son. Aang would be killed on the spot. _

Zuko tried to push the thought out of his mind. Since his banishment, his loyalty to his nation and the fire lord had weakened. Master Jeong Jeong and his exposure to the wider world had made him see how cruel the fire nation really was. So why was he planning on taking -  _ Kidnapping- t _ his boy and giving him to Ozai who was quite possibly the most unforgiving, ruthless person in the world. Zuko would be directly responsible for the murder of a child. 

_ But if I do, I’ll get to go back to the fire nation and my home. I won’t have to live like a poor, scavenging refugee. I’ll be treated like the prince I’m supposed to be, Father will restore my honor and I can redeem myself. This boy is the only thing standing between me and getting home. I won’t fail again. I can’t. I need to prove myself show that I’m not as worthless and pathetic as everyone thinks. _

Zuko made up his mind and chased away any doubts he was having. He must capture the avatar today,.

_ And if not today, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying. I’ve done the hard bit, I found him now al I have to do is take him. _

Despite having made up his mind, Zuko didn’t feel quite right about it. But he put that down to nerves and anticipation about how it was going to play out. He had almost walked back up to the barn when he realized he probably shouldn’t show his face. After thinking of all possible methods to conceal his identity: dirt face paint, putting a shirt over his head with eye holes, disguising himself as a woman, etc. Zuko realized that it just wasn’t good enough and desperately searched his mind for some other solution. Kicking the ground In frustration Zuko realized he was just going to have to go as he was, and hope that they didn’t take notice of his face. He crept toward one of the windows to the barn trying to establish whether they were awake and what would be the most efficient way to get in and an idea suddenly popped into his head:

_ The mask shop. _

Even though the town was only very small it still had a costume shop, he’d only visited once quickly but there were definitely masks and he could wear one to hide his face. It technically would be stealing but considering that he was also planning on kidnapping tonight it wasn’t really a big deal. 

As he ran toward the mask shop he was becoming increasingly aware that he would have to hurry up because his cover of darkness would soon be gone. He neared the shop and assessed if he could break in through any of the windows or side doors, whilst he was about to steal he didn’t really want to cause the shop owner too much hassle. Unfortunately, none of the shutters or side doors opened so he was going to have to just kick the front door in. 

_ Right, I need to be quick once I’ve done this. The noise will definitely wake some people up. _

He raised his leg up to the door marking where he would hit, then after taking two steps back he ran and jump kicked the door down. As expected the door made a huge crash as it fell open, and he really needed to hurry up now. Inside the shop, the walls were lined with weird outfits and props but no masks so far. 

_ This better not have been for nothing _ , He thought.

After scanning the whole shop and not seeing any masks Zuko felt a little disheartened but mostly angry at himself for being so stupid yet again. He took one last look around the walls of the shop but still saw nothing. Just to be sure he checked the back room and it must have been his lucky day because laying on the floor were the two masks he was thinking of. They were both faces of some spirits of sort and looked strangely familiar somehow. Without pausing to think for another moment, Zuko grabbed both the masks and darted out of the door.

By the time Zuko had gotten back to the woods next to the barn, he was out of breath and visibly sweating. The whole time he was running back he was sure that someone was chasing him and he was going to be turned over to the fire nation for theft, then they’d realize he was the prince and kill him but luckily that didn’t happen. 

_ Why am I always so paranoid?  _

Now he was safe, Zuko decided to take a closer look at the masks he had stolen. One was red and had the face of an angry spirit, lip curled and eyebrows scowling back at him. The other was blue and looked calmer but still menacing. 

_ I know where I recognize these from _ , Zuko thought.  _ Its the dark water spirit and the red spirit from ‘Love amongst Dragons’ _

As a child every year his family would go on holiday to Ember Island before his father was fire lord of course, and they would stay in their vacation house on the beach. Zuko had fond memories of playing in the sea with Ezra and building sandcastles with his uncle Iroh and cousin Lu Ten. The spirits were from a play that his mother used to make them go see every year called ‘Love amongst Dragons’ Zuko didn’t remember the story exactly but he knew the masks were definitely from the play. Looking at the masks he felt a surge of sadness rise within him, 

_ I Miss you, Mother. _

She would never have let this happen to him. She always protected Zuko from his father and siblings and she was the only person who ever really loved him despite his flaws, Maybe his Uncle Iroh did too but he wasn’t allowed to show it.

Zuko tried to bury those feelings of sadness and bottle up his emotions. 

Now isn’t the time to get sad. He told himself.  _ What’s happened has happened and now I have a chance to regain what I lost. I won't fail his time. _

He picked up the red mask and tied it around his face. It fit pretty well and definitely concealed his face to anyone who looked. After strapping his Dual dao to his back and throwing the other mask into his pack along with the remaining food, he emerged from the woods and walked silently towards the door of the barn. They were all sound asleep when he had left to go get the mask and they were still now but, what he didn’t expect to see was the giant furry monster that was asleep in the hay behind them. 

What is that? Is it some sort of guard animal?

It had the same tattoos that the boy did and had 6 legs and a huge tail. On the top of its head, it had huge horns which kind of resembled a buffalo or bison. 

_ Wait, Bison. Is it a flying Bison? They are the original Air benders, so I suppose the avatar would have one. _

After observing it for a few minutes Zuko decided that it too was fast asleep and he was safe to continue his mission. Stepping over the loose items that the children had strewn over the floor he made his way to where the avatar was sleeping. Unlike the other two, he wasn’t in a fur-lined sleeping bag, he was just asleep on a small pile of hay.

_ Isn’t he cold? _ Zuko wondered. _ Even I’m cold and fire benders blood runs much hotter than the average persons. _

_ That doesn’t matter Zuko. Why are you caring about hot warm he is? _

Zuko crept closer and closer until he was standing right over the top of the air bender. Now he was up close, Zuko could see how childlike he looked and how small he was. He had big round eyes and was probably a good head taller than Zuko, even though he was sleeping he had a slight grin on his face which Zuko found unsettling if he was being honest. 

_ No one can be that happy that they smile in their sleep. _

Now he was actually here Zuko realized how difficult it was actually going to be to take the boy and carry him somewhere far away. It was unlikely he would be able to carry him for all that long and even if he could make it a few miles away, he was sure the air bender could probably be able to escape easily enough.

_ Shit, I need some way of being able to travel fast whilst keeping him contained. Why do I never think things through? I’m so useless and stupid. If this were Azula or Ezra they would have thought it through and come up with a thorough plan. No stupid again Zuko, they wouldn’t have been inadequate enough to get banished in the first place so wouldn’t ever find themselves in this situation.  _

Zuko decided he just needed to go for it. He leaned forward, picked the boy up and slung him over his shoulder. The boy was surprisingly light and Zuko probably could carry him for a good amount of time. Maybe just enough to get far enough from here. He turned to make an exit when he was confronted by the water tribe boy who had somehow managed to get up out of his sleeping back and was holding his boomerang in one hand and some sort of sword-club thing in the other. 

_ A Boomerang, What a stupid weapon. _

“Who are you?” He asked, obviously trying to sound intimidating but being let down by his not fully broken voice. 

Zuko had no idea what to do, he didn’t think he could outrun the boy with Aang on his back who was surprisingly still asleep. The water tribe boy looked pretty fit and like he could probably give Zuko a run (Literally) for his money. He was probably about the same height as Zuko but nowhere near as toned, he had skinny tanned arms which didn’t look like they were really strong enough to swing the club-swordy thing in this hand. Another thing that could possibly give Zuko an advantage was that the boy still looked half asleep; His hair was down and flopping around his eyes in a way that framed his face and made him look rather attractive in a way and-

_ What am I doing? He’s attacking me and I’m examining his hair. Get a grip Zuko. This is ridiculous. _

_ “ _ Put Aang down and leave now.” His voice was now menacing and low. A distinct change from his first attempt. 

_ Now he sounds more like a man. He must be a similar age to me. My voice cracks like that all the time. _

_ Why do I keep doing this? Focus Zuko.  _

Zuko decided that he’d come this far now and he may as well try and see it through. He began to run towards the water tribe boy and the door and he felt himself fly forward toward the door. Landing with a crash on the floor outside the barn he looked to see who had made him fly 10 feet through the air, 

_ Ah yes, the air bender. He can bend air. _

Zuko scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could into the woods, he did look back to see if they were following but no one was. Once he was back inside his little hut he allowed himself to catch his breath, no one had followed him so he was still undiscovered, but he had failed.

_ What did I expect to happen? The avatar to just come with me as a sleepy little prisoner? His friends not to notice? I’m an idiot for ever thinking I could succeed.  _

Laying down on top of the hard slab he unrolled his sleeping bag and crawled inside. Zuko felt very small as he curled up and was left with the all too familiar feeling of failure. He closed his eyes and eventually drifted off into a dream ridden sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading, Comments and Kudos are always appreciated.  
> ps. This work isn't beta'ed and I'm finishing this really late so sorry if there are any mistakes/grammar errors.


	5. The Spirit World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during season 1 episode 7- Winter solstice part one: The spirit world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, New chapter. I'm doing pretty well with the daily uploads so far although its only been a few days :)

A few days had passed since Zuko’s failed attempt to Aang and to say he had been feeling pretty down about it would be an understatement. On the same night, Zuko had attempted to capture Aang, Haru had been taken prisoner by the fire nation for earth bending. Then for some unknown reason, the trio had gone after him and somehow managed to save him. Zuko had shadowed their movements since then and was now staying in some weird town where the avatar had been fighting a spirit monster the day before. To say Zuko was confused would be an understatement, he had no idea what he was doing, what they were doing, what the huge spirit monster that is now apparently just a panda was doing. Nothing the avatar and his friends had done so far had made any sense, Zuko thought that they would be slightly more focused on important stuff… Mastering the elements, Finding out fire nation secrets, etc. Not stopping at every other town to save people or help that or sightsee this. 

The fact that they were traveling on the giant fluffy monster didn’t make things any easier for Zuko either. Only once had Zuko been able to get on a wagon that was going in their direction, he’d had to do the rest of the journey on foot and his body was punishing him for it. The open sores on his heels from walking for miles were starting to seriously affect the speed at which Zuko could follow them and he had been scared that he was going to lose them many times. 

After following them for a few days they had stopped at this town and then stayed for a couple of days much to Zuko’s relief. But today he knew they were leaving and he was going to have to follow, there hadn’t really been a suitable opportunity to capture Aang within the last few days so Zuko hadn’t really made any progress. Another thing he hadn’t made any further progress in was finding out where they were going next, Zuko hadn’t gotten a chance to eavesdrop on any conversations since they were staying in the governor’s house and he doubted his ability to sneak in.

_ What am I going to do? I don’t think I’m strong enough to follow them again. But I just can’t give up now, I need to find out what they’re planning to do next. _

It was almost dawn and the town was still quiet, Zuko was sat next to the barn they were keeping the Bison in so when they left in the morning he would see what direction they went in. He briefly considered going to sleep as he would need the rest but decided against it as he could be caught unaware of their departure. 

A few minutes passed and the sun was just about to come into view along the skyline, Zuko looked out and felt strangely calm in the presence of the rising sun; The golden rays hit his pale skin and made him feel warm and alive inside. However, his moment of peace was interrupted when he heard footsteps silently approaching the barn. Zuko was hidden out of sight but didn’t really have anywhere to run if someone found him. But weirdly the footsteps were as quiet as a fox-cat sneaking up on its prey. 

_ What is that? It sounds like human footsteps but nobody can sneak that quietly unless they were floating on air. Wait, Floating on air. Is it the avatar?  _

Zuko felt his senses come to life a little more to try and work out if this really was the boy. The footsteps were close enough now that whoever or whatever it was would be inside the barn already. There was a small window around the back of the barn and Zuko tried to look through it but he wasn’t quite tall enough and could only just see the sky. Exasperated, Zuko decided to just go back to where he was and try and listen for any signs of who/what was sneaking into the barn. Zuko was becoming more and more impatient and was almost about to just go and see who was there when he heard a voice from inside the barn.

“Let’s go Appa, cmon boy.”

The animal let out a loud grumble in response.

“Look I’m sorry but, Katara and Sokka aren’t coming to the fire nation with us. If they got hurt, I’d never forgive myself.” The avatar said remorsefully. 

Zuko had moved so he could see Aang and his bison. The creature still hadn’t moved even though Aang was dragging it by a length of rope wrapped around its horns.

“GET YOUR BIG BUTT OFF THE GROUND AND LET'S GO” 

The air bender bulled at the bison's reins again but he didn’t budge. Then Zuko saw Sokka emerge from behind the bison.

“I think his big butt is trying to tell you something,” Sokka told Aang

“Please don’t go Aang” The water tribe girl spoke “The world can’t afford to lose you to the fire nation… Neither can I”

_ Someone has obviously got a crush. How disgusting, I feel bad for the other boy. Although I bet loads of girls like him, he is pretty fine. That thought was just as disgusting Zuko. Stop it. _

_ “ _ But I have to talk to avatar Roku to find out what my vision means,” Aang exclaimed. “I need to get to the fire temple before the sun sets on the solstice. And that’s today”

_ These idiots are planning on sneaking into the fire nation? Are they insane? They’d be captured and imprisoned as soon as they crossed the border. It’s way too dangerous. And if they go into the fire nation I can’t follow. If my father finds out I’ve re-entered the fire nation he’ll have me executed immediately. _

The avatar hopped on to his bison and yanked the reins signalling the creature to begin moving forward.

“We’re not letting you go into the fire nation Aang.” The water tribe peasants threw themselves in front of the bison. 

“At least not without your friends,” Sokka said. “We got your back”

Aang smiled and laughed as his lemur thingy landed on his shoulder with a chirp.  _ Appa _ ? The Bison licked Sokka from head to toe to show his thanks.

_ That is quite possibly the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen. I might take being captured by the fire nation over ever being licked by that thing. _

The water tribe boy and girl hopped on to the saddle and after some encouragement from Aang, the bison set off into the sky. Throughout the whole ordeal, Zuko had remained hidden down the side of the barn. He stared up into the sky trying to map out the direction they had headed in, although it was becoming more and more of a possibility that he would have to give up his chase and wait to see if they emerged from the fire nation in one piece. 

“Thank you, avatar Aang,” The governor of the town said staring up in the same direction as Zuko.

The governor turned and headed back in the direction of his house. He and Zuko were the only people about and the town was back to its peaceful state. The governor had almost made it to the door when Zuko noticed the thud of an animal approaching, the governor must have heard it too because he turned around and as soon as he did he was slammed backward into the door by a cloaked figure wearing all black.

“Having trouble sleeping? It asked. The voice was very familiar to Zuko.

Looking into the direction they had appeared from Zuko noticed what looked like Kimono Rhinos, most of them with soldiers on. 

_ Fire nation soldiers? Those two rhinos without riders have the royal emblem on their saddles. But that isn’t possible there’s no way they’d be all the way out here in the earth kingdom. _

“Seen the avatar lately?” The other cloaked figure asked. Again the voice was scarily familiar to Zuko.

_ The helmets and uniforms those soldiers are wearing… Unless the uniforms have changed in the last three years they’re the uniform of the royal guard. No, No it can’t be them it must be some awful mistake.  _

But then to Zuko’s horror, the two figures threw off their cloaks and were now in full view of Zuko.

“You will tell me where the avatar has gone. No one disobeys an order from us”

And stood there in front of Zuko was the crown prince and princess, Heirs to the throne, and Zuko’s little sister and brother. 

_ Azula and Ezra.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dialogue in this chapter was taken from the actual episode so I had to re-watch it, not that I'm complaining haha. All rights go to the original show creators of course.  
> Hope you enjoyed, Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> PS. If there is any constructive criticism or little things/scenarios you'd like to see in the story leave a comment down below :)


	6. The Temple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during Season 1 Episode 8 - The winter solstice part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, Lot's of action in this chapter and to make up for no chapter yesterday this one is extra long :)  
> Also it's Sokka's POV to begin with then changes to Zuko's.

SOKKA POV

Sokka was half slumped down in Appa’s saddle, after the whole ordeal with being kidnapped by the weird hei bai spirit monster thing he was feeling pretty tired and thought he deserved a rest. Just as he was about to finally doze off he was snapped back awake by Aang shouting at Appa.

“Cmon boy, we’ve got a long way to go. FASTER”

Sokka decided that sleep wasn’t on the menu for this journey and tried to think of something that would keep him more awake. 

_ What about that weird mask guy who tried to capture Aang? Who even was he? He didn’t look fire nation, although the mask was red… Katara might know, _

“Hey, Katara, Yano the mask guy that tried to capture Aang? Well, do you think-” Sokka was suddenly interrupted by Katara who hadn’t been listening in the first place.

“AANG, WE GOT TROUBLE” Katara yelled looking over the side of Appa’s saddle at something behind them.

Sokka moved to get a look over what ‘trouble’ was following them.

_ Oh no _

_ “Y _ eah, AND IT’S GAINING FAST” Sokka added.

A huge fire nation warship was hot on their trail, the deck was full of fireballs ready to be launched at them.

_ I’m not sure if Appa is good enough to dodge all those fireballs… Who is even commanding that thing anyway…  _

“GUYS, I think I know who’s commanding the ship. It's the red mask guy from the other night.”

“OH YEAH, AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT SOKKA”

_ Why does Katara always have to be so hysterical? I think it’s a pretty good theory, to be honest. I am the ideas guy after all. _

Sokka was about to respond with something witty and sarcastic but was stopped by the launch of the first fireball. Aang was quick enough to steer Appa out of its path, but whether Appa could keep that up for the other hundred or so fireballs that were waiting for them on deck was anyone’s guess… Why did the red mask commander guy want to attack them anyway?

\--------------------------------

ZUKO’S POV

After getting over the initial shock of seeing his siblings after 3 years Zuko had come to his senses and realized that their appearance was a good thing. Why? Because they came here on a huge warship and were headed in the same direction he was- After the avatar. Zuko had managed to sneak onto their boat after finding where it had docked. After finding some spare armor he was easily disguised as another one of the hundreds of soldiers on board the ship and Zuko was feeling pretty happy with himself despite the situation.

_ This is perfect, I’ve got a fast way of traveling, No one will stop and check this boat as it goes into fire nation waters and when I capture Aang I’ll be able to steal one of the small escape boats and take him straight to my father. _

Admittedly Zuko did feel very uncomfortable about the fact this was the twin's ship and they had much higher chances of actually capturing the avatar. There was also feelings of nervousness and tension around encountering his siblings again; He would have to since he was planning on stealing the escape boat and maybe a rhino or two, Zuko wasn’t quite sure how that family reunion could end well for him. 

In the cramped darkroom he had been hiding in Zuko didn’t really have much of an idea where they were headed. He had to just hope that Azula and Ezra were going straight for the avatar and not making a stop at the palace or something first. The governor had quickly given up where the avatar was headed although Zuko didn’t blame him, they were pretty intimidating, to say the least. The sound of the engines working suddenly got louder and Zuko guessed they must be pursuing something, the bison was exceptionally fast despite his appearance and the warship would have to go at full speed to stand a chance at catching them... 

_ Being stuck down here is driving me crazy. I have no idea where we are or what's happening… I saw fireball launches on the deck last night, What if they try and shoot them down?  _

Zuko had no idea why that thought slightly worried him, probably because he couldn’t return a dead avatar to his father… Yes, that was it. 

_ But what about his friends? They would have even less chance of surviving if the beast went down. _

From what Zuko knew the girl was a water bender and Sokka was a non-bender. Would the fire nation kill them as well? The thought actually filled Zuko with dread. Even though he was trying to capture them, Zuko had become almost fond of the gang and had let himself enjoy spectating on their friendship. He had never really had friends of his own and there were times when he’d even wish that he was sat around the campfire with them, laughing and joking about the day's events. Whilst watching Aang hopelessly trying to flirt with Katara he’d even wondered if maybe one day he would be able to have that. 

_ My destiny is the capture the avatar and regain my honor. Not to go globetrotting with the avatar and his smelly beast. Oh and that little weird flying monkey thing that always seems to be with them, they’re all just so weird. _

After letting his mind drift for another half an hour or so, Zuko heard footsteps walking past the room. He tensed waiting for them to open the door and discover it was an intruder but luckily no one came in and the footsteps passed. Zuko really just needed to know something about where they were or why his siblings were after the avatar. Against his better judgment, Zuko stretched out his legs and got to his feet, A little walk around the warship was probably ok. 

_ I might be able to find some food as well, I’m starving as usual _ .

The food Haru had given him had run out a few days ago and he was becoming more and more hungry. He opened the door a crack but then heard the sound of a dozen running footsteps down the corridor.

_ What are they running from? Or to? _

The overwhelming urge to do something and get out of the little room made Zuko open the door fully and run down after them, he would easily be concealed in the mob of course and could see at least where they were. 

Zuko managed to catch up to the back of the convoy who were running towards what looked like the weapons room. 

“Take your weapons.” A commanding voice said.

_ We must be getting ready to dock _ . Zuko thought. _ This is it, I’ve got to find a way to break away and go for Aang myself. _

“As you all know, We are the prince’s guard and it is our sworn duty to protect and aid him. Anyone who doesn’t uphold this will answer to the fire lord himself.”

All the other soldiers stood to attention around Zuko. He guessed they were all fire benders as the weapons they had picked up weren’t very significant. 

_ Guess I finally get to use my fire bending. _

The Huge metal door opened before them and a ramp was being lowered, it looked to be about mid-afternoon and probably about twenty minutes before the solstice. Zuko weaved in between the soldiers to try and get a better look at the surroundings. They were docked directly in front of Avatar Roku’s temple and Zuko could already see Appa had landed next to the entrance. Sokka, Katara, and Aang opened the doors and ran inside. 

_ Shit, I need to be quick otherwise they’ll have gone by the time I get there. Can we please hurry up, I doubt Azula and Ezra want to wait either.  _

“Prince Ezra is ready to pursue the avatar into the castle, Let’s go.”

The group of fire benders started running toward the temple.

_ Where’s Ezra? Aren’t we supposed to be guarding him? _

As if in answer to Zuko’s question Ezra jumped down from the ship and landed in front of the convoy, Zuko could see a few meters away Azula had done the same to land in front of her guards.

“We take the avatar now. If any of you mess this up we won’t hesitate to have you thrown overboard.” 

All the guards around Zuko bowed so he did the same. Even when he was the prince Zuko didn’t think he was so intimidating, Ezra was scary although Zuko knew Azula was still the more cut-throat of the two. She was scary but Ezra was smarter, He would have been the one who found the avatar in the first place and he would probably think of a way to capture him. Of course, she was still incredibly quick-witted and could probably capture him by herself but having Ezra meant they could do it quicker and wouldn’t waste their energy either.

The guards had been running and were now at the temple doors. Inside the temple, there was a maze of corridors all leading off in different directions. Zuko could see some weird people with red hats on - Fire Sages? - talking to the prince and princess but he couldn’t hear what they were saying from this far back. Zuko realized whilst everyone’s attention was on the fire sages he would be able to run away down the nearest corridor, he slowly moved so he was against the wall and then after double-checking, no one was looking at him, he darted off down the corridor.

Zuko could feel his heart racing as he ran faster and faster down the corridor. He had no idea which way was the right way, only that he had to keep moving as fast as he could. 

“Which way is it?” He muttered angrily. “ I haven’t got all day.”

Zuko turned another corner and was about to give up and cry when he noticed a flash of blue disappear around the corner.

_ Water tribe. _

Picking up the pace Zuko began to run even faster towards the person. 

_ It must be Sokka or Katara, there wouldn’t be anyone else wearing blue in here. _

At the end of the corridor, he saw exactly what he was looking for: Aang, Sokka Katara, and a fire sage were disappearing through a secret door in the wall. Zuko waited until they had all gone through and then ran towards it to try and slip through but he didn’t get here quick enough, The door slammed shut in his face and went back to being an unassuming bit of wall again. Zuko desperately looked around the wall for a secret button or lever that he could use to open the door but to no avail.

_ Cmon Zuko, think. What would open a secret door in Avatar Roku’s temple? He lives on a volcano island with a big temple for him because he was the fire nation's avatar… Fire nation avatar. Fire bending might open it. _

Zuko pushed on a section of the wall then created a large flame in his hand and pushed it into the wall. Sure enough, the door opened silently and after briefly thanking the spirits Zuko went through making sure it shut behind him. 

After climbing what seemed like endless sets of stairs through the volcano Zuko was greeted with a large room decorated in red drapes from top to bottom. In the center of the room, there were huge doors with the face of a dragon engraved and what looked like 5 tubes going into the door. Zuko moved so he was behind one of the large pillars in the room to get a closer look at the door. 

Now he was closer he could see Aang, Sokka and Katara all looking at the door, Sokka tried to run into it a few times but it didn’t open.

_ Stupid, He thought a huge metal door would open with his body weight. What an imbecile _ . But Zuko chuckled quietly as he watched none the less.

_ Right, all I’ve got to do is grab Aang and escape.  _

Zuko waited until Aang wasn’t close to the others then he pounced. Lunging forward Zuko grabbed Aang by the waist and held one of his dual swords to his neck. He observed to see what Katara, Sokka, and the random fire sage were going to do. But their attention seemed to be on something else.

“Well, well, well. Look at this brave soldier who’s taken it upon himself to capture the avatar.” Azula’s cold voice rang through the silent room.

Zuko had his back to her so he decided to turn around so he could at least see where she was but as he did so he saw Ezra coming up the other set of stairs.

_ Oh, Fuck. I’ve got nowhere to run. _

“What a good catch Azula, We’ve got the avatar and his conspirators, a traitor fire sage and a traitor member of the royal guard,” Ezra said, his voice almost sounding cheery as if they’d won a prize.

“Why don’t we see who this traitorous soldier is. I’m sure the fire lord will be very happy to hear why he thought he was better suited to the job of capturing the avatar.”

The royal guards surrounded Zuko and snatched Aang from his grasp. They forced Zuko to his knees with his back against the wall. Every muscle in Zuko’s body was tensed, his heart rate had spiked and he’d be surprised if he didn’t die of a heart attack before they got to him.

“Go on then ‘Zula, let's see who it is” 

Azula took a few steps closer to Zuko and commanded “Look at me”

Zuko slowly turned his head up to look at her and she ripped off the helmet. The shocked look on Azula’s face was priceless and under different circumstances, Zuko might even have found it funny, Ezra was looking similarly shocked. Then Azula’s smile widened and she did the horrible half-smirk that she inherited from their father. 

“Looks like you’re finally coming home, Brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would really like to develop Ezra's character more as he's going to be really important to this fic. Also just in case anyone wonders, Azula is older than Ezra by 1 minute so she is currently heir to the throne :)  
> Comments and Kudos are always welcome and appreciated!
> 
> ps. Does anyone actually read the notes lol.


	7. The Avatar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during season 1 episode 8 - The Winter solstice part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, new chapter here, it turned out way longer than I expected it to be aha. Hope you enjoy!

After discovering that it was their brother that had almost captured the avatar, Ezra and Azula were disgusted, to say the least. Azula had ordered Zuko along with the water tribes to be chained up to one of the huge pillars since some minor miracle had allowed Aang to go through the temple doors when they had been opened by the fire sages. There had been a bright light coming from the door and Zuko heard Katara whisper to her brother that he was in the avatar state.

In their chain bound predicament, Zuko was very very close to Sokka and could feel his hip twitching as he watched Azula.

_ I guess everyone is scared of Azula, I know I am _

Sokka turned to Zuko and looked him up and down, he had looked visibly frustrated when Ezra had pulled Zuko’s dual swords off his back, so he must have made the connection that Zuko was the red spirit. This didn’t really give Zuko any advantages as now Sokka knew he’d tried and failed twice to try and capture his friend.

“So, Who are you?” Sokka asked, his voice not really giving anything away.

Zuko wasn’t really sure whether to reply or not but for some reason, his stupid mouth decided to before he could stop himself.

“I’m Zuko, I used to be the prince of the fire nation and heir to the throne but my father banished me.” Zuko couldn’t believe he just told Sokka all that.

Great job Zuko, Now he’s definitely going to hate you.

“So they’re your crazy siblings?” Sokka asked his voice was almost playful which wasn’t really appropriate since said crazy siblings were watching them like hawks.

“Yup, the royal twins” 

“That must suck” 

Zuko had no idea why Sokka would ever be nice or even civil with him, hadn’t he tried to capture Aang twice? Zuko’s thoughts were interrupted though when he noticed Ezra was walking towards them.

He smiled a slightly menacing smile “ So, Zuzu.” 

Zuko didn’t really know whether Ezra was expecting him to reply so he just stared at his ember red eyes. Ezra looked an awful lot like Zuko but minus the huge scar, both the boys looked a bit more like their mother whereas Azula was definitely their father’s daughter. Both his younger siblings had grown up a lot in the time Zuko had gone, they were only eleven when he left and now they were both fourteen, they looked more mature and developed and Zuko, despite everything, felt a little proud of his siblings and how they’d grown. They were clearly much better than he’d ever been and for once he didn’t resent them for that. 

_ Why am I being so sappy all of a sudden? They’re both evil, crazy people who want nothing more for me than to see me rot away in prison. It doesn’t matter how many memories I have of them from when we were younger, they’ve changed and so have I. Although if mother hadn’t left I’m sure things would have turned out differently. _

“What’ve you been doing in your 3 years away?” 

Still not knowing whether to reply or not Zuko just looked away into the distance, he could feel Sokka turning his head to look at him probably wanting to know what Zuko was going to respond.

After taking a few moments to think the best response Zuko could come up with was, 

“Nothing really.”

“Really Zuzu?” Oh no, Azula’s come to join the party.

“You must have been hunting the avatar. I guess you got pretty close today, you surprised me. I didn’t think you were capable of complex planning, disguising yourself as a guard was pretty smart even for you. I would tell father and under other circumstances, he might even be proud but since you’re a filthy traitor I doubt he will.” Her cold voice echoed across the room.

One of the guards interrupted the silence in the room “Princess Azula the doors are moving.” 

Azula turned towards the doors but not before adding to Zuko “Oh and I like what you’ve done with your hair, it really fits the filthy peasant look. You’d fit right in with the water tribes.”

Zuko saw Sokka growl and almost spit at Azula.

“See? Filthy animal” She jeered at Sokka.

Once Azula had left to go investigate the doors Ezra stood there looking at Zuko for a few more moments. He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something but then decided against it and hardened his face back into an evil smile. 

Around the door the blue light seemed to be getting intenser, Zuko began to worry as if something happened he was powerless to break the chains and escape. He would have to use his fire bending and there was no way he could fight Azula and Ezra head-on, they were just too good and had probably only improved since he left. A loud crash struck through the air and Zuko turned his head away to avoid being blinded by the light that was now streaming out of the door. Zuko noticed that Sokka was also trying to avoid the glare of the light and in his effort to turn away he had but his head into Zuko’s neck. This realization made electricity run through Zuko, Sokka was the first person to get this close to him in years and probably the closest ever since Zuko had never felt overly comfortable with being intimate and had definitely never had a girlfriend.

With a loud clanging, the doors swung fully open and stood there in front of them was… Avatar Roku? 

_ Isn’t he dead? _

Dead or not he was definitely stood in front of them and his eyes were glowing a weird blue that appeared very unsettling to Zuko. The royal guard started shooting flames at him but avatar Roku simply bent them all around him in a majestic fireball and directed it back at the guards. Through some magic, the chains around Sokka and Katara vanished but Zuko was still tied down. Everyone else in the room including Zuko’s siblings ran away toward the ships to escape from the Angered Avatar.

“Avatar Roku is going to destroy the temple” The fire sage shouted. “We have to get out of here”

Sure enough Avatar Roku made a crack appear on the floor and lava began to rise up. Fully gripped by panic now Zuko struggled with the chains if everyone left he would be condemned to be swallowed up by the rapidly rising lava. 

With all pride and pretenses gone Zuko screamed out for help. Sokka and Katara were just by the door but didn’t seem to be running yet.

_ They must be waiting for Aang, I guess they can’t leave without him. I couldn't imagine being dedicated to someone so much that I would willingly stay in an erupting volcano for them. _

Zuko screamed again, they were his only chance to get out and he knew they’d heard him. Avatar Roku suddenly turned back into Aang who was left slumped on the floor. 

“AANG” Katara yelled as they ran towards him.

Sokka looked around a worried expression on his face, “We need to get out of here fast.” 

Aang looked directly at Zuko and said something quietly to his friends who looked slightly annoyed at whatever he’d said. 

“We can’t just leave him.” Aang then added pleading with the others.

Sokka sighed and muttered “Fine” 

Aang ran over to where Zuko was chained and began pulling on the chains, Sokka joined him but they couldn’t shift the tight bounds. Then suddenly Zuko was set free and he was no longer imprisoned against the pillar. 

Zuko looked at them with what he hoped was a thankful expression. “Thank you.” He whispered.

“LET’S GO” Sokka yelled at them. “WE’VE SAVED HIM, NOW WE BETTER GET OUT OF HERE OURSELVES”

The trio turned and ran away, Zuko almost followed but then caught sight of his abandoned dual dao on the floor and couldn't stop himself from picking them up and re strapping them to his back. It only took a few seconds but by the time he had reached the stairs that the trio had disappeared down they were submerged in Lava. Heart pounding Zuko ran and checked all the other stairwells, they were all full of lava. There was no escape.

_ No, This can’t be how it ends. I’ve got so much I need to do, I can’t be finished by some stupid dead guy. I need to restore my honor and go home, I need to find happiness, and I need to see my mother again. I won’t give up. _

Resorting to the only escape there was Zuko climbed out of the window and on to the roof, he would never make the jump down as he was far too high up, and he wasn’t close enough to the sea to fall in there. But he had to try. The temple was slowly tilting and would probably end up in the sea within the next few minutes so Zuko had to be quick- He sat on the roof and swung his legs under him, then in a swift motion he turned and fell so he was only grabbing the roof with his hands. By the spirits or just pure luck Zuko managed to climb down from the temple and land on the rocks beneath, he sprinted towards where the warships were hoping he could sneak on again. 

_ They look like they’re getting ready to leave I need to go faster. Cmon Zuko if you get stuck here you’re never getting off unless the avatar decides to take another mini vacation. _

After sprinting at full speed for a couple more minutes Zuko reached the ships, all the entrances were closed off except one which was heavily guarded and that was just closing up now. Hidden out of view in the bushes Zuko had one idea that might work although it would require immense strength and resolve on his part. 

All the warships have those guard rails up next to the deck, its almost sundown now and if I manage to hang on in a blind spot then when darkness falls I can sneak aboard. It was crazy and slightly impossible but it was really the only option Zuko had. The jump was a good few meters and he didn’t even know if he was going to be able to make it, but he had to so he would. The deafening sound of the ship's engines starting spurred Zuko on as he took a running leap from behind the bushes and stretched out like a flying lemur monkey to try and grab the rail. 

The few seconds he spent in the air were agonizing if he failed he was definitely dead but by some minor miracle, he made it and was now clinging to the rail by the tips of his fingers. 

_ Alright just got to hold on for an hour or so then I’m safe. I can do it, I have to do it.7 _

After about an hour darkness fell and Zuko was able to haul himself on board the ship, his arms were burning and were going to cause him the worst pain imaginable tomorrow but for now, he had made it. By blind luck or some spiritual intervention he didn’t know but he made it and that’s what counted. 

Winding through the maze-like levels of the ship Zuko somehow managed to find his way back to the room where he had left his stuff a few hours ago. The masks and the other three or so things he owned were waiting in a little bag in the corner. As soon as Zuko leaned against the wall he felt his legs give out from beneath him. He was, quite frankly, exhausted and after lodging his swords in the door so it couldn’t be opened he flopped down on the hard metal floor and curled up to go to sleep. It took less than 10 seconds for Zuko to be completely passed out and as he slept he dreamt of that moment with Sokka’s head in his neck on repeat, the touch sending electricity like lightning through his body again and again and again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual this work isn't beta'ed so I apologise for any mistakes. I'm also English so that might explain the weird upload times or unconventional spellings/phrases haha!   
> Comments and Kudos are very appreciated! :)
> 
> p.s Yup, I'm fairly sure now no one reads these notes. Oh well, the good stuff is up there :)


	8. The Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during season 1 episode 09

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry its been a few days. School hit me hard and I just didn't have the time or energy to write unfortunately, but I think I'll be able to upload more from here as I haven't got exams for another few weeks yay. Hope you enjoy this chapter. !!
> 
> P.s Flashback scenes are written in italics

After his near-death experience the day before, Zuko had spent a large amount of time sleeping in his hideout on the ship but now it was almost 2 days after and he was planning an escape. From what he had overheard, the ship was still following the avatar and was on course towards a small earth kingdom village. Now that they were out of fire nation waters Zuko would be able to steal a small escape boat and track the avatar himself but there wasn’t much point since the bigger warship would just be going in the same direction. 

_ I need to get up and do something, I’ve got no food or information. Even though I’d just be following the warship I want to steal the boat. There could be an opportunity to get food or even fish for it myself. Like I’d be good at fishing… _

Zuko sighed and stretched out his tired body, whilst hidden in his tiny engine room all Zuko had done was think about many different things, his siblings, the avatar, how he was going to capture the avatar, etc. But the thought that repeatedly popped into his head, again and again, was Master Jeong Jeong. Zuko supposed it was because his time with the fire bending master was just another thing that was added on to his spectacular, ever-growing list of failures, however, it had been months since the raid and Zuko hadn’t really put that much thought into it before now. 

Shifting against the cold metal wall Zuko turned over on to his side, his back was starting to hurt a lot from being asleep against the hard metal slab. It was cold too, Zuko had had to bend his chi and use the breath of fire most of the time he was awake in the room. After getting into a position that wasn’t causing his back to behave like he was 40, Zuko closed his eyes and slipped back into deep thought.

_ The boat can wait until later, He thought, It’s still light outside anyway. If I want to steal a boat I’ll probably need the darkness on my side. _

Zuko’s mind drifted off into deep thought and as he predicted he was drawn back to Master Jeong Jeong again, the brief memories he had danced in his mind as if they were fire whips, rapidly coming closer then fading, dancing in a sea of brightness and color.

FLASHBACK TO 9 MONTHS BEFORE PRESENT. (kind of from Master Jeong Jeong’s POV)

_ “Fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. But if you can learn to control your fire Zuko, you can be powerful and balanced.” _

_ Master Jeong Jeong always made sure Zuko knew the dangers of his fire bending, he had seen far too many of his own students become destructive monsters, the well-known general Zhao was one of them. Students who didn’t appreciate the true meanings or uses of fire, only how it could be used to destroy and intimidate. But Zuko, despite his royal upbringing, didn’t demonstrate any of those negative qualities. Admittedly he was angry, lonely and didn’t trust anything that moved, but that was to be expected of a 15-year-old who had been abandoned by his family, banished from his nation and had his entire world turned upside down.  _

_ After a few months though Zuko did learn to trust Master Jeong Jeong and even enjoyed spending time with him. Master Jeong Jeong taught Zuko most of the fire bending forms, building on the basics he had, then progressed on to the advanced sets.  _

_ “To learn the advanced set Zuko, you must learn to draw your power from the sun and your own pure chi, not the anger and hatred you bear within yourself.”  _

_ END OF FLASHBACK _

That particular memory replayed in Zuko’s mind over and over. -  _ The sun is my source, not ange _ r-

Not being able to practice his fire bending left Zuko tense and overflowing with energy, he had to practice. It was the way of letting the anger and hurt evaporate out of him and allowing the sun’s energy to flow within him. 

Zuko decided that he’d had enough of waiting around on the stupid warship, 

_ I’m going to steal an escape boat and some supplies and get out of here. I’ll find a small cave and I can practice my fire bending. It’s just gone nightfall so now would be a great time to escape. _

After gathering up his pitiful belongings, Zuko placed his hand on the door handle and slowly tried to turn it to open. Thankfully it was silent and Zuko walked out into the corridor, still wearing the fire nation guard uniform he was probably safe to wander the corridors at night as they wouldn’t be expecting an attack from within. At this point his siblings probably thought he was dead, they’d have seen the temple collapse and assumed I was still chained up where they left me. 

The paths of the gigantic warship were like a hidden labyrinth, Zuko wasn’t really sure where they kept the escape boats but he knew they must have some somewhere.

_ It’s going to be sunrise at this rate unless I hurry up. And the whole ship will be awake by then. _

Turning corridor after corridor Zuko was beginning to feel tired and walked in a brisk march out of frustration. 

_ I guess I’m just going to have to risk going up to the deck and finding my way from there, its hopeless everything looks the exact same down here. _

Zuko found the nearest set of stairs and began to climb when he noticed what looked like a sign on the door. 

** Evacuation procedure **

** Nearest escape boats: Level 2 annex 4. **

By the spirits Zuko was lucky today, he guessed he was on level 4 so he just needed to go up two levels and find whatever annex 4 was and he was home clear-ish. 

_ I’m on level 2 now, but how do I find out where the annex is? Just keep walking and I'll hopefully find it. _

Walking through one seemingly endless corridor after another was starting to dampen Zuko’s spirit.

_ Maybe that sign wasn’t luck, after all, I’m still stuck down in this maze. At least I haven’t run into anyone yet, that would just make this a whole lot worse. _

_ “ _ Soldier, What are you doing down in annex 2? This is my night guard.”

_ Nope, I’m definitely unlucky _

“You should go down to annex 4, I heard the prince is wandering the corridors around there.”

“Oh yes sorry,” Zuko replied, trying his best to sound older and manly. “Could you remind me of the way? I’m still new to this ship.”

The soldier frowned and sighed. “It’s down that corridor then take two rights and a left.”

“Thank you.”

Zuko turned to go in the direction the soldier pointed out.

“Stupid new recruits.” The soldier muttered.

Half an Hour later Zuko had finally reached annex 2 where the boats were located. He almost smiled when he saw the hull of one of the escape vessels, they were actually much larger than he expected. They were made of metal and actually appeared to be coal-powered rather than rowing boats, Zuko could have sworn he felt his arms and shoulders than him for sparing them of the torture. Each had a little cabin and when he got inside there was a bag of supplies already loaded. 

_ The fire nation may be cruel and corrupt, but at least they think ahead. _

To get the moderately sized boat out into the water, Zuko was going to have to trigger a pulley system that looked incredibly complex and like it would need multiple people to operate. Zuko was already tired, hungry and fed up so he decided - Unwisely- to just cut the ropes of the pulley system and let the boat freefall into the water. There were lots of flaws in his plan but Zuko felt too exasperated to deal with any of them. He drew the small knife that Haru ha given him and started cutting through the closest rope. It took him a good few minutes but after that, he was through and started on the other one. The other rope was hanging by a thread when Zuko realized something important.

Am I going to have to be in the boat as it falls or shall I let it fall then jump?

Letting it fall then jumping after it would mean Zuko would have to survive the ten-ish meter drop and hit his target but it also meant he would be sure that the boat had landed properly. Falling with the boat would mean he would probably suffer less of an impact but if anything went wrong or the boat got dragged under he would go with it. It was a tough choice but Zuko opted for the latter. Falling with the boat just sounded better.

_ Here goes nothing. _

He climbed up into the boat's small deck and found a suitable place he could hang on to. He braced himself as he grabbed hold of the railings either side of the V-shaped hull then with a flick of his wrist he sent a small fireball toward the remaining rope and watched it burn through then, He fell.

Zuko felt the air rushing around him and his body being lifted up of the deck where he was clinging on for dear life. The descent felt like a lifetime as he wasn’t sure how far away the inky black sea was. But then he landed with a thud, loud cracking and a flash of pain alerted Zuko to the fact that he had been badly thrown backward by the boats landing. 

_ Let’s just hope it isn’t anything major _ . He thought.

There was a good supply of coal in the ship's furnace ready to go so Zuko heated the coal and the boat slowly started to move. The steering wasn’t the best and Zuko found it hard to stop the boat from just spinning in a circle

_ I wish I was a water bende _ r he sighed. 

After much struggle he got the steering to work and set off in the direction of the huge steam trail left by the warship. Relief flooded through his body and Zuko let himself relax fully, as he let himself relax he found his mind wandering back to the avatar. More specifically the avatar’s friend Sokka and the memory of him touching Zuko, played over and over again like a broken record, filling his body with electricity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The stuff with Master Jeong Jeong will be explained in more flashbacks just thought I'd include some in this chapter as it's a bit fillerish. Hope you enjoyed it, Comments and Kudos are very appreciated :)


End file.
